HAYS, KS – Dr. Peter Laipson, a higher education executive with more than two decades of senior higher education leadership experience, was chosen from a nationwide pool of candidates to lead Fort Hays State University, North Central Kansas Technical College (NCK Tech), and Northwest Kansas Technical College’s (Northwest Tech) strategic affiliation initiative.
As the Director of Strategic Affiliation, Laipson will coordinate the efforts of governance and implementation teams from the three institutions currently working to create robust, efficient, and cost-effective solutions that meet the key affiliation goals of delivering market-smart and highly accessible programs and unparalleled student services.
“I am eager to work with all three institutions to help move this initiative forward — and enthusiastic about the opportunities it will create for the students and communities of rural Kansas,” Laipson said.
FHSU President Tisa Mason believes Laipson is the right professional for this challenging role, stating, “Peter’s depth of experience as a higher education leader impressed Presidents Burks (NCK Tech), and Schears (Northwest Tech), the search committee, the Affiliation Steering Committee, and myself. Peter has the right skills and experience necessary to shepherd this very comprehensive and complex affiliation plan to successful implementation.“
Laipson last served as the founding Chief Academic Officer at High Meadows Graduate School of Teaching and Learning in Cambridge, Mass. In this role, he served as part of the senior leadership team that collaborated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create a competency-based graduate program for STEM educators. Prior to High Meadows, Laipson served as Provost and Vice President at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He oversaw all functions of Bard’s residential early college, including the direction of strategic initiatives, fundraising, and management of a $21 million annual budget.
Laipson’s professional experience includes service as the dean of faculty and department chair for History at Concord Academy in Concord, Mass., teaching experience at the college and high school levels, and consultancy work for several college preparatory academies. Laipson currently serves as a Senior Fellow at Mastery Transcript Consortium (MTC), a national and global nonprofit membership organization that helps make mastery learning—or competency-based education—available to all learners.
Dr. Laipson earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in History from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Religious Studies from Brown University.